Welcome to the internet home of the 110th regimental motor pool
By - T/4 Dan Evans
I came to reenacting from antique and military vehicle collecting, my original goal being to have fun restoring and driving old vehicles in parades and to vehicle display events. In those days we restored WW II vehicles to their original OD glory complete with stars and stenciled numbers, but we did not wear uniforms and had no purpose other than to drive trucks all over Creation (on one occasion we drove a convoy of 30-40 wheeled vehicles around the track at the Indianapolis Speedway.) . My initial military vehicles were a GPW, then a WC-63, followed by a WC-51. When I fell among re-enactors it quickly became apparent that vehicles such as mine didn’t belong to an infantry rifle company, and I began to cast about for some rationalization which would explain the presence of my vehicles on the scene of an encampment or in a column of march.
I discovered that a regimental Service Company, which had the missions to transport supplies and to operate the regimental Motor Pool, would be the place to find all the odd vehicles. Further research revealed that a typical Service Company was actually authorized only a fleet of CCKWs for supply services. Since this seemed rather boring, I arrogated to myself the prerogative to determine my own TO&E, and came up with the Vehicle Roster which appears in these pages – totally arbitrary and fictitious but providing an interesting collection of vehicles which covers the most common types you are likely to have. If you have something authentically WW II which isn’t on the list and would like to participate, let me know and I’ll use my connections with higher headquarters to have the TO&E changed to suit the occasion.
In addition to supporting the regimental rifle companies, the Motor Pool supports all units attached to the regiment (103rd Medical Battalion and its WC ambulances, for example, or the Weasels of the 103rd Engineer Combat Battalion), and is also the assembly point for vehicles of higher supporting units (728th Ordnance Maintenance Company which operates the 28th Division Motor Pool), which explains why an M1A1 Heavy Wrecker of the 728th might occasionally appear, or a regimental-level staff or Command Car.
The purpose, then, is to provide a rationalization for having vehicles other than Jeeps on the scene when an infantry company (in our case, K Co. of the 110th Regt.) is displayed in the field, or when we appear in a parade as a company on the march. A secondary purpose is to establish a clearing-house for the assignment of appropriate bumper markings on participating vehicles so that we don’t end up with, for example, 3 Jeeps all marked K-2.
If you would like to join up and add your vehicle to the Roster, contact me at devans367@earthlink.net. If you would prefer to use these pages as a form for creating an impression of a Service Company supporting a different regiment, please feel free.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MILITARY VEHICLES
In the Army, all military vehicles “belong” to some Motor Pool, under the direction of a Motor Officer assisted by a Motor Sergeant. In the 110th Infantry all vehicles “belong” to the Regimental Motor Pool operated by personnel of Service Company, which also has responsibility for obtaining and distributing supplies. The Regimental Motor Pool is under the direct command of the Regimental Motor Officer, which in our case is Captain Kievon P. Truken, and day-to-day operations are directed by the Regimental Motor Sergeant, M/Sgt Vincent A. Goombatz (known behind his back as Vinnie Goombatz). Service Company itself is commanded by Captain Stuart J. Pidassle; and anyone who has ever done any serious time as an enlisted man in the Real Army will recollect that most if not all officers he encountered there were Stu Pidassles.
An infantry rifle company of WW II was authorized to have two Jeeps with trailers and two deuce-and-a-halfs with trailers. The Jeeps were originally intended to be supply vehicles bringing up ammo for the company’s MGs, mortars and bazookas, but very quickly one of the Jeeps was reserved for the transportation of the CO and other officers. The deuce-and-a-halfs were always intended for the transportation of the kitchen stoves and other mess equipment, and rarely would appear on the front lines.
As K Company has few vehicles of its own, if transportation of men and equipment is required, vehicles are requisitioned from the Motor Pool. These vehicles will be assigned to Service Company, will be designated “SV-(X)” on their bumpers, and will probably be driven by men from Service Company. K Company’s own vehicles are marked “K-(X)” on their bumpers. The Jeep reserved for use by the Company CO is always marked “K-1”. The second Jeep will be “K-2”, and the deuce-and-a-halfs will be “K-3” and “K-4”. Their associated trailers will be marked “K-T1” through “K-T4”.
When K Company goes to the field it usually draws a ¾ ton Dodge (SV-8) and a 1½ ton Dodge (SV-19) from the Motor Pool. These vehicles come with Service Company drivers and trailers as needed. In addition to these vehicles, you may also see around the encampment ambulances from the 103rd Medical Battalion which supports the 28th Division (28-103M), Headquarters vehicles from the 110th Regiment (HQ-(X)), and support vehicles from the Divisional Motor Pool which is operated by the 728th Ordnance Maintenance Company (728-O-(X)).
If your duties require you to have the use of a motor vehicle, you present yourself to the Motor Pool Dispatcher with proper written authorization and license, and he will “issue” you an appropriate vehicle. The vehicle will come with a “Trip Ticket”, which is your authorization to be in possession of that vehicle. As you drive from place to place during the day you enter on the Trip Ticket the places you have gone and the elapsed mileage; and at the end of the day you return the vehicle to the Motor Pool, turn in the Trip Ticket, and you are relieved of any further responsibility for that vehicle. The Motor Pool will file the Trip Ticket and will have a complete record of where that vehicle has gone and who was driving it.
SERVICE COMPANY - MEMBERSHIP LIST
Captain Stuart J. Pidassle, Commanding Officer, Service Company
Captain Kevon P. Truken, Regimental Motor Officer
M/Sgt Vincent A. Goombatz, Regimental Motor Sergeant
Sgt. Bill Burruss, Mechanic/Welder
Sgt. Rege Biggerstaff, Mechanic
T/4 Dan Evans, Driver/Ass't. Mechanic
Headquarters Company, 110th Regiment
ID Type SN Engine
HQ-1 Jeep (CO)
HQ-2 Jeep (Exec)
HQ-3 1940 Dodge VC-1 Command Car 8641364 USA W-205614 T202-4870
HQ-4 1942 Dodge WC-56 Command Car
HQ-5 Jeep
HQ-6 Jeep
Service Company
SV-1 CO’s Jeep
SV-2 Exec's Jeep
SV-3 Motor Officer 1945 Ford GPW 269613 USA 20735520-S 2 liter Pinto
SV-4 Jeep
SV-5 Jeep
SV-6 Jeep
SV-7 WC-51
SV-8 1942 Dodge WC-51 81628099 USA 2124520-S T214-112197
SV-9 WC-51
SV-10 WC-51
SV-11 WC-52 USA 81691493 T214-
SV-12 WC-52
SV-13 WC-52
SV-14 1942 Dodge WC-52 81531965 USA 2168955-S T214-59972
SV-15 Chev. 1 1/2 ton cargo
SV-16 WC-62
SV-17 WC-62
SV-18 WC-62
SV-19 1943 Dodge WC-63 82003766 USA 3329520-S T214-95960
SV-20 1945 Dodge WC-63 82041633 USA 3311849-S T214-32411
SV-21 Chev. 1 1/2 ton tractor
SV-22 Chev. w/Holmes wrecker body
SV-23 CCKW 2 1/2 ton
SV-24 CCKW 2 1/2 ton
SV-25 CCKW 2 1/2 ton
SV-26 CCKW 2 1/2 ton
SV-27 CCKW 2 1/2 ton
SV-28 CCKW Gas Truck (2 Heil 375-gal. tanks)
SV-29 M969A 4-ton wrecker
SV-30 M425 4-ton tractor
Engines
T202-4870 in HQ-3 (VC-1 Command Car) rebuilt 1993
T214-34567 in SV-8 rebuilt 2006
T214-59972 in SV-14 rebuilt 2006
T214 engine in "new truck" WC-52 from Jack M.
T214-95960 in SV-19 rebuilt 1992
T214-112197 will go to SV-20 needs rebuilt
TRAILER ROSTER
SV-T1 Jeep trailer
SV-T2 Jeep trailer
SV-T3 Jeep trailer
SV-T4 Jeep trailer
SV-T5 Ben-Hur
SV-T6 Ben-Hur 1-ton cargo USA 0398206
SV-T7 Ben-Hur
SV-T8 Ben-Hur
SV-T9 Ben-Hur 1-ton cargo USA 0241312
SV-T10 Ben-Hur 1-ton cargo - Wood body USA 0287963
SV-T11 Ben-Hur
SV-T12 Ben-Hur
SV-T13 Ben-Hur gas 1-ton cargo - gas USA 0367004
SV-T14 Ben-Hur gas
SV-T15 Ben-Hur 1-ton water trailer USA 0816309
SV-T16 Ben-Hur 1-ton water trailer
SV-T17 Ben-Hur 1-ton water trailer
SV-T18 Ben-Hur 1-ton water trailer
SV-T19 3 1/2 ton cargo trailer
SV-T20 2000-gal. gas trailer